


Peter Parker: A Coming Out Story

by snarkymuch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Awesome Tony Stark, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Peter Parker, Gen, Light Angst, Misunderstandings, Peter Parker Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24686050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkymuch/pseuds/snarkymuch
Summary: Peter could feel his hands tremble as he tried to find the courage to make Tony understand. “It’s not—it's not that. I—there isn’t going to be a girl, any girl, ever. I’m pretty sure.” Tony’s brow furrowed, but before he could speak, Peter squeezed his eyes shut and confessed, “I’m gay, like really gay. When I say I don’t like girls, I mean, like, I really don’t. Not like that anyway.”-Or-Peter comes out to the people closest to him.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 28
Kudos: 449
Collections: The Best Irondad/Spiderson Fics, The Best Peter Parker Whump Fics, marvel fics that are marvelous





	Peter Parker: A Coming Out Story

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something for Pride month. This is a mix of experiences, my own and others. I hope you like it. Big thanks to for-thine-is and thelostweasley77 for their help.

Peter wished he could be like the stories he heard where people always knew they were gay, but he didn’t. Maybe he had some kind of idea, but never anything concrete, no one thing that proved it to him beyond a doubt. Though the hints were there, he questioned them like everything else. And the truth of it, he felt wrong for the way he felt. 

His uncle, for all the greatness that he was, never struck Peter as an open-minded man, leaving him to feel insecure in his shadow. Before the night Ben died, Peter had wanted to broach the subject with his uncle and ask for forgiveness for something that didn’t need to be forgiven, to apologize for not being the man his uncle would want him to grow into someday. A bullet stole his chance, and the words he’d wanted to confess like a sin, stuck in his throat, and he began to doubt that he’d ever be able to speak them. 

He wanted to believe he’d have been accepted, but now he’d never know. Call him a coward, but he was scared to admit who he was. Maybe he needed time to accept himself first. 

It had been six months since Ben’s death, and the words were still stuck in his throat, trapped and choking. It seemed ridiculous that something so small could be so big that it consumed his life, though maybe it wasn’t that small. He wished it was, he wished it was something as simple as preferring one genre of music over another, but it was nothing like that, and pretending only did him a disservice. He didn’t need to be afraid, though. He knew he could tell May. Her love was all-encompassing, and he knew he would be welcome, but the fear made the words catch, and the time never seemed right. 

It was a Sunday when it finally happened, without ceremony or show. Peter was eating his cereal at the table, and May was reading the paper. It was June, and Peter itched to tell her more than ever since it was Pride Month. 

“Look at this,” she said, turning the paper so Peter could see a photo from the parade. A woman in a t-shirt that read Free Mom Hugs stood on the side of the street. She had a rainbow painted on her cheek, and her arms were outstretched toward the kid beside her. “I think I should do this, you know. There are so many kids out there that don’t have anyone. Can you believe they get rejected for something like who they’re attracted to? I’d never.” She shook her head. “Not in a million years.” 

Peter blinked then set his spoon in his bowl. He licked his lips and looked at the cabinets, unable to meet May’s eyes. “I’m—I’m gay.” He cleared his throat, which was tight and trying to choke him. “Yeah, I just wanted you to know—” 

“Peter,” she breathed, and then she was up and coming around the table. When he looked at her, there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. “Thank you for telling me, honey. That must have been so hard.” 

He nodded faintly and felt tears stinging at his eyes. “It really doesn’t make a difference?” 

May sat in the chair next to him, cupping his cheek. “Oh, sweetheart, of course not. Am I the first one you’ve told?” 

Peter swallowed, dropping his gaze. When he looked back at her, all he saw was understanding. “I wanted to—I mean, I wanted to tell Ben. I planned on it, but I was afraid, and then it was too late.” 

A crease formed between her brows. “Were you afraid he wouldn’t accept you?” 

He shrugged, keeping his gaze anywhere but her face. “It didn’t feel like he would.” 

May sighed, dropping her hand to his shoulder. She sucked in a breath, and Peter chanced a look at her. Her face was a mixture of emotions. Her lips were pursed, and the corners of her mouth downturned. 

Finally, she shook her head and looked at him. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glistening with tears. “Ben was a good man, Peter. He might have been set in his ways, but I like to think he wouldn’t have cared. He loved you, Peter. He was proud of everything you did.” She shook her head again. “No, he would have been so proud of you. Don’t ever think he wouldn’t have.” 

Peter’s throat ached, burning when he tried to swallow back the emotion that was bubbling up. Tears clung to his lashes, and when he blinked, a droplet broke free and rolled down his cheek. It was a strange mixture of relief and regret. He wished he’d given his uncle the chance to accept him, but he was thankful that he would have. 

May thumbed the tear from his cheek and then ran her fingers through his hair. “It’s going to be okay. It must feel good, though, huh? You’re not going through this alone anymore. I’ll be here for whatever you need, just like I would have before you told me. You don’t have to hide.” 

Peter wiped his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I love you.” 

She pulled Peter into a hug, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. “I love you, too, kiddo. I love you so much.” 

The next day he saw the Pride pin on her scrubs when she went to work, and a week later, she asked him his type, just in case. Peter just laughed at her meddling. It felt good to be accepted. 

MJ and Ned were next to know, and despite May’s hope that he would date Ned, he just didn’t see his friend that way. MJ had given him a nod of approval, and the news seemed to roll right off Ned. He’d simply said, “Huh, yeah, I can see that.” And when Peter asked what that meant, Ned had replied, “Like it wasn’t obvious you were drooling over me.” Peter threw a pillow at his head, and they both broke out in a fit of giggles. 

He didn’t broadcast it, but he didn’t hide it either, staying somewhere in between. The only person close to him he hadn’t told was Tony, and that was a problem in of itself. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but like he had with his uncle, Peter feared his reaction more than most, maybe that was testimony to how close they’d become. 

Something had to be done, though. It wasn’t that Tony meant to make Peter feel uncomfortable, but he was constantly talking about girls and giving him advice. He’d even taken to razzing Peter about his friendship with MJ and making it out to be more than it was. When Peter would stammer and try to deny it, it just made Tony laugh and push harder next time. 

“Pass me the 10mm,” Tony said, wiggling his fingers and not looking up from the project he was working on. It was actually their project, or well, Peter’s. It was for extra credit, which he needed after missing so many classes this year. Spider-Man tended to steal him away at the worst times. If he could finish this robotics project, it would bring his grade up substantially. 

Peter passed him the socket and went back to working on the coding. It was going to be a helper bot, not unlike Dum-e and U—just smaller and less skilled. It would be able to pick up dropped items and carry small things. Simple, repetitive tasks were where it would shine. So far, Peter had written most of the code, only needing Tony for a few things. Tony, on the other hand, was working on fine-tuning the bot itself. Sure, Peter should probably be doing it himself, but it wasn’t like the teacher said he couldn’t have help. 

The code was done, or at least he thought it was, so he grabbed the cable and walked his laptop over to where Tony was finishing up. Reaching around him, he plugged it into the port on the bot and started uploading the code. 

“So,” Tony started as he put away his tools. “How’s things with Scary Spice?” 

“Huh?” 

“You know, your little crush, MJ.” 

Peter’s mouth went a little dry like it tended to when Tony pressed about girls, especially MJ. Even if he was straight, he wasn’t sure MJ would be someone he would date. She was more of a friend. He wouldn’t want to ruin that. But then again, you never know. 

“Oh, things are good, but, um, we’re not like that—like dating or anything. We’re just friends.” 

“To be young and in love,” Tony said as he got up and wiped the grease from his hands. “I don’t know why you don’t admit it. It’s written all over your face. Every time I mention her, you get flustered. It’s cute.” 

“I don’t—it’s not like that, Mr. Stark.” 

“See, just like that. I think it’s cute.” 

Peter shook his head, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth. He should just say it and put an end to it. But he couldn’t help but be afraid of what could change between them. Tony might not look at him the same way, even if he did accept him. And it wasn’t that Peter logically thought Tony wouldn’t, but he’d be exposing his most vulnerable side, and that scared him. He couldn’t hide forever, though, and he didn’t want to lose his chance like he had with Ben. 

“I don’t like her like that—I don’t like any girls like that,” Peter said in a rush of words before he could change his mind. 

Tony smirked, head cocking to the side a little. “That’ll change. You just haven’t met the right one yet.” 

Peter could feel his hands tremble as he tried to find the courage to make Tony understand. “It’s not—it's not that. I—there isn’t going to be a girl, any girl, ever. I’m pretty sure.” Tony’s brow furrowed, but before he could speak, Peter squeezed his eyes shut and confessed, “I’m gay, like really gay. When I say I don’t like girls, I mean, like, I really don’t. Not like that anyway.” 

His heart was beating painfully against his ribs, and a lump was forming in his throat. The tremble in his hands had turned into full-on shakes. 

“Hey, hey, kid, breathe,” Tony said, then he registered footsteps moving closer. “Pete, I’m so sorry. I owe you an apology. All this time—I shouldn’t have … What I did wasn’t cool, and I never gave you a chance to explain. I thought you were just shy about girls, but that’s not an excuse. I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” He touched Peter’s arm. “Please look at me.” 

Peter swallowed against the rising lump in his throat and chanced a look at Tony. His eyes were understanding, but there was concern too, etched in the deeper lines of his brow. Peter didn’t know what to say. It was overwhelming. He had finally done it. He’d told Tony, and the man hadn’t rejected him as he’d feared. 

“It’s not your fault.” Peter’s voice broke over the words. “I should’ve told you sooner.” 

Tony shook his head. “I was still an ass, and I’m sorry.” 

“So, you’re really okay that, um …" 

“That you’re batting for the other team? Kid, you don’t know me at all if you really thought that would bother me. I might lean a little more to the het side of the Kinsey scale, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t dabbled over the years. It would be pretty hypocritical of me to judge.” 

“Oh,” Peter said, blinking. Part of him knew Tony would probably be alright with things, but it surprised him that he’d experimented with men. It soothed the last of his fears. “I had no idea you, um, went that way.” 

“I took my title of playboy seriously.” Tony winked, and Peter shook his head. “But really, kid, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. I’m glad we’re there.” 

“Yeah, me too.” 

“And if you ever need dating advice.” Tony waggled his eyebrows. “I might be a little rusty, but I think I could still help you out. Wait, you and Ned?” 

Peter rolled his eyes, feeling calmer. “Just friends, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony seemed put out, then brightened. “But there is someone?” 

He laughed, shaking his head. “There isn’t anyone yet, but I promise you’ll be one of the first to know.” 

Tony nodded, face turning a little more serious. “So, me and you, we’re good. No hard feelings? You promise not to hold my shitty behavior against me? I wouldn’t blame you if you did, though. I deserve it.” 

“No, we’re good, and, um, thanks, for being so cool about this.” 

“Are you sure you’re not interested in that Ned fella? I kinda like him, and he worships me. I wouldn’t mind him as a son in law.” 

Peter laughed, shaking his head. “You’re worse about this than you were MJ.” 

“Oh, I’m just getting started.” 

Peter grinned. It was comforting in a funny way, knowing that Tony hadn’t changed, he was still his old teasing self, and that was perfectly okay. Peter was content. All the people he loved knew and accepted him, and that felt a whole lot like freedom. He knew how lucky he was, and that was something he would never take for granted. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yell at me on [tumblr](https://snarky-drabbles.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I'm open to prompts and do try to get them in no particular order. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it.


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